


The Grand Escape

by Divisionde



Series: The Shadowed ones [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 04:24:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10403883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Divisionde/pseuds/Divisionde
Summary: Anemone and Altair are two hybrids. One part Shadeshifter, a banished species, and one part Shapeshifter, a welcomed species that is almost considered royalty. Anemone keeps the secret of her Shadeshifter blood by amusing the queen of the Sarc empire. While Anemone pleases the queen, Altair sticks more closely to his Shadeshifter blood and waits in the shadows, only talking when needed. The two find a way to escape, gaining a few companions on the way. Now, they are on the run, but will they be able to be truly free?





	

A screech of agony was heard in the distance. The mountains echoed with wails of innocent shadeshifters, imprisoned within a large dome. They each fought for freedom, killing and slashing at each others throats in the process.  
“This is quite amusing, is it not?” The leader of this hell sat beside me, taking the form of a broad shouldered dragon. I nodded, keeping my profile low and pleasing. She smiled menacingly at me.  
“One shadeshifter is doing well in particular. Too good don’t you think?” She said this with almost a sickly sweet voice. I once again nodded pleasingly, understanding her order behind the words she spoke. I turned into the form of a fox within two seconds. My fur was dark grey with small marks of white etched on, showing brilliantly. I took a great leap into the fighting storm in search for the ‘particular’ shadeshifter. I finally found the hefty male as he held his ground. He seemed to be protecting someone while fighting off any hoard that came his way. While I padded slowly to the creature, the others backed away, sensing the danger radiating off of my pelt. He looked at me challengingly, daring me to step forward, but I could easily see through him. Behind that tough exterior, he was afraid. I almost felt sympathy. Long, steel claws seemed to dissolve onto my real ones. Everyone’s eyes widened with fear or admiration except for the dragon that laid atop, waiting for the real show to commence. A sadistic glint shined in my eyes, making the others shrink away in fright. My bipolar mood showed easily now.  
“Oh, are you scared now? It’s a bit too late now is it. You made your choice a long time ago.” I said with darkness basically spreading from my eyes. I lunged at the unsuspecting shadeshifter, claws glistening. I pinned him to the ground, getting a glimpse of the one he was protecting.  
“What?! I can’t help how I was born!” He said the last word harshly before knocking me off with his strong, hind legs. As the ground came in contact with my sleek fur, I jumped up, eyes still on my target. A light growl left my muzzle.  
“Well neither can I!” The last word almost came out as a roar as I thrusted my claws into his side. He dodged just in time, the metal grazing his shoulder. My weapon scraped against the floor, earning a spark of embers. The shadeshifter glared at me with wide eyes.  
“You’re a shadeshifter!? Then why are you doing this?! With you, me, and Cinder, we could leave this hell!” He emphasized the word hell with great hatred. I wanted him to shut up. He was getting on my nerve from his constant shouting. ‘I have to kill him now before he yells my little secret to Queen Alethea.’ I think darkly.  
“Just shut up. I will make your death quick and easy.” I say softly. I almost wanted to scream, ‘ I don’t want to do this! This isn’t my choice!’ but refrained from doing so, knowing extremely well the consequences. He glared at me with all the hatred he could give. It almost stung at how much he seemed to loathe me.   
“I’m sorry for this…” I whispered quietly, only allowing him to hear my words. He took step back, hesitant now. I gave another swing with my paw, this time, set to be successful. I felt the steel go across soft flesh, digging deeper with each second. The male wailed in pain and collapsed. His blood sprayed across the floor, painting the dull colors. I looked at it, unfazed as I padded towards him, acting menacing. When I finally reached his sprawled out body, I crouched down whispering,” Act like you’re almost dead. They should heal you, and return you back to your cage. If you want to live, pretend you aren’t living.” I stood, ready to go. Before I did, I saw him nod weakly. I payed no mind, hoping the queen didn’t become suspicious. My eyes glance upward to see her proud smile. She was now in the form of a elegant, black cat, but she was far from elegant. She stared down at me, nodding in approval. At the sign, I turned, heading away from the battle arena. The scraping of thousands of claws was resumed once my tail disappeared into a long corridor. The claws blew away in black specks, shining in the small light. Finally, I could be myself.  
“Finally…” I glanced around, hoping for no one else to be around. Luckily the coast was clear.  
“Altair. You can reveal yourself now. Queen Alethea is not able to hear us.” A white figure fox with similar markings as mine, came out of the shadows, blending in surprisingly well.  
“How are the shadeshifters doing in the ring?” He asked stiffly. I looked away, thinking back to the battles I saw.  
“Everyone’s doing… Ok, as usual, but I did have to come down and harm one. He wa-” Altair cut me off, raising his tail in silence.  
“I know, I saw. He’s not dead, correct?” I nodded my head. “Good.” He replied plainly. My eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
“Why, may I ask, do we need him alive?”   
“Because we are escaping tonight.” He replied bluntly, looking at me with a steady stare. My eyes widened in shock. Before I could speak, he said,” The queen was going to dispose of you soon enough. She is starting to get bored of you. We must get out tonight, and I plan on taking a few shadeshifters with us. They know too much information and could easily tell all of Asteria to ruin you.”  
“Won’t we already be on the run? Asteria already seems to hate my existence…” I trailed off, trying to think through the perspective of Altair. He sighed as if he was thinking.  
“I will devise a plan to make it look as if one of the shadeshifters killed us. Maybe a pile of bones and blood will work…” He said the last part mostly to himself. I shook my head in disbelief, but tried my best to go along with it. A shaky breath left my muzzle as I turned away.  
“I’ll meet you at the cages.” He said one last order before shifting back into the shadows. I watched as his own shadow merged with the building’s. I closed my eyes, thinking for a moment or two and walked away.   
As I walked through the corridor, I heard the battles stop, but still, the wails continued on. I flinched at the raw shouts of fear and sadness, but continued on, looking almost unfazed. The smooth floor faded into a more stony path. I padded out of the of the mountain, not looking back. I shifted into a small lockjaw. My fur turned to a dark grey, purple color. A skull appeared on my face, covering half of it. My eyes barely were visible, only the color of light blue was showing. A small locket was now placed around my neck. The dark and cool metal pressed against my matted fur as I walked into a glowering forest. A smile was placed on my face as I felt the fresh, calming aura around me. Before I could go any deeper, I heard the soft rustle of a bush. I quickly crouched down, shifting into the shadows comfortably. Soft whispers carried in the wind to my large, perked ears.   
“Shut up before we get caught.”  
“Oh pa-lease. They won’t hear us out here-”  
“They have patrols for Jain’s sake!” Two feminine voices argued while crunching through the leaves. I looked around, searching for the source of the voices.  
“Shh…. I think I hear a patrol.” The older, more mature voice spoke again, this time in a hushed tone. The younger voice didn’t speak for a few heartbeats before letting out a muffled sigh. ‘They know of my presence already. Odd. I usually don’t get caught out here.’ I shook my head slightly, loose fur flying around me. I stood up and walked away from the shadows, letting the strangers to get a look at me. A light gasp was heard through the forest.  
“I already know you two are there. You guys must be delusional if you think you are going to get out alive.” I said the last part quietly, coming out hostile unintentionally. They walked out, one of them almost close to shaking. They were in the form of small cats.   
One had dark brown fur with a soft cream muzzle as well as white ear tips. This one seemed to be longer than the other and more bulkier. The smaller, more sleek one was a lighter brown and had white toes. The smaller one was basically shaking in fear and glanced around for a quick escape. The trees covered almost every inch of land and would be in the way of a run.  
“You’re not going to be able to escape in this forest. It’s too dense.” I say coldly. The two stayed oddly still as if trying to turn invisible. I looked at them with curiosity. They looked young and frail. Definitely too young to be going near the Sarc empire. I grunted in thought.  
“Where are your parents young ones?” I asked with genuine curiosity. The two looked surprised at my question, the larger one holding a small glint of sadness within her eyes. She looked away, not wanting to speak. At that moment I knew what had happened. I was about to speak before the little one spoke up.  
“I don’t really know where Mom or Dad went. Well I know they went hunting, but they never came back. That’s why we’re here! To try and find them!” I looked at the two with sheer sympathy, only letting this side of me show near young shadeshifters. I shook my head at myself.  
“What are you?”  
“Why do we have tell you…?” The older, more mature figure stared at me with an almost challenging gaze. A sigh escaped my muzzle.  
“Do you want to live or not. For Jain’s sake, you really shouldn’t be pushing a shapeshifters buttons like this. Lucky for you, i’m on neither side of the war.”  
“Y-you’re not?! But you’re a shapeshifter!”  
“Not completely.” I say with amusement.  
“And I can see that you aren’t fully a shadeshifter either, correct?” The smaller kitten nodded in amazement.  
“Woah! How did you figure out?” I chuckled slightly at the young one.  
“It was quite easy to guess. You looked as if you don’t belong with the shapeshifter’s yet you’re in the form of a cat, giving me a good example of a runaway hybrid I assume. Oh, I almost forgot to ask, what are your names?”  
“I’m Shiva! Nice to meet you!”  
“I’m… Ice…” Ice spoke coldly, her pupils turned to slits in distrust.  
“Look. You guys don’t need to trust me, but you must listen before you get seriously damaged. I do not need to see young, dead shadeshifters yet.” I say in a hushed tone. The wind suddenly became quiet as I lowered, softly chanting a few words in advance.  
“Ok, you should be able to go by undetected now, but still. Be careful. Lucky for you the patrols will not be commencing until dawn.” Shiva looked at me happily, smiling brightly while Ice just narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. I could tell that even a step forward would be dangerous for them, so I stayed still and nodded my head towards the direction away from the empire.  
“Now go. You guys have no time to wast-”  
“We need to find our parents still! Will you help us?” I was cut off by Shiva. My eyes widened in surprise.  
“I don’t think so. You two should come back later when I can fully help you.” I said stubbornly. Ice stepped forward, giving me a ‘Are you kidding me?’ type of look.   
“Tch.” I close my eyes and think for a few heartbeats.  
“So be it. Come with me and we’ll look for your parents. What do they look like?”  
“Well, our mom was a shapeshifter, so I can’t be too sure, but dad was a large dog with black fur and white toes… I think?” Shiva looked at Ice with questioning expression. She responded with a curt nod.   
“Alright, let’s go then.” I headed back into the mountain, this time with two small cats trailing behind me. One frail and tiny and the other large and cold. ‘What has my life even come to by now?’ I ask myself, exhausted. Ice turned to look at me with slight trust, but her body was still tense with caution. I looked forward, trying to stay quiet and low. The two followed my lead accordingly. I looked behind me to see Altair within the shadows. I hesitated before turning my body towards him.  
“Altair, what are you doing here. I thought you were going to devise a plan.” I whispered curiously.  
“I knew you would do something stupid so I did my job as fast as I could.” He looked at me blankly. An irk mark grew on my forehead at his statement.  
“This isn’t stupid! I’m just trying to help these two find their parents!” I whisper-yelled. He narrowed his eyes while I rolled mine.  
“Fine, get it done quickly, it’s getting dark.” I nodded with annoyance.  
“Alright, alright.” He looked at the young hybrids and sighed. I shooed him away with a flick of my tail. He obliged, hesitantly shifting back into the shadows.  
“Oooh! Who was that?” Shiva asked excitedly. Ice nudged her roughly.  
“Shut up before you get us killed.” She stuck her tongue out at her younger sister.  
“Your sister is right, we don’t want to get caught. It could lead to death.” I say softly. “Just try and stay quiet, alright?” I ask sweetly. She smiled up at me and nodded her head violently. I nodded at Ice as well to see if she heard me. She nodded back while looking away. ‘She still doesn’t trust me.’ I think to myself. I shrugged it off and crouched down till I felt the floor beneath me. With a flick of a ear, I asked them to do the same. Shiva did so quickly while Ice stayed in her position thinking. Shiva kicked her sister with her hind leg lightly, getting Ice’s attention. She looked at me puzzled before crouching alongside me. I smiled lightly, glad she wasn’t being difficult. I wasted no more time and started to sneak away, deeper into the mountain. I glanced back every once in awhile to check up on the two females. The entrance disappeared behind us as we sneaked faster and faster. ‘It’s too late to go back now I suppose’ I thought concerned. The light became dimmer once we got to the arena.  
“What is this?!” Ice almost yelled, but she became quiet after.  
“This is the… Arena…. I didn’t see your parents in here so we may be lucky.” Ice glared and growled at the floor miserably. The stars in Shiva’s eyes lost a bit of faith, but she stared up at me hopefully. I smiled reassuringly at her, but it turned out forced and stiff. In the middle of our dangerous path, I switch into a small mouse, and asked the others to do the same.  
“Wait, we can’t do that form yet.” Ice whispered. I stared at the two surprised.  
“O...Ok, then just change into something smaller than a cat.” I say softly. They both nodded, changing into tiny prairie dogs. I smiled approvingly at their skill.   
As we made it across the arena and into the cages, I heard the gasp of the younger sister. I glanced at her, making sure she was alright.  
“What’s wrong?” I asked, worry evident. She didn’t move or even flick her tail in acknowledgment. Ice followed her gaze to a small cage. Inside were three bodies lying on the floor motionless. Two of the three seeming to be exactly who the sisters described as their parents.  
“They got killed so quickly…” I say with horror seeping in my voice.  
“They were not obeying correctly. I needed to clear the empire of these viruses. Don’t you understand my dear Anemone?” My eyes widened with terror. I quickly spun around, facing Queen Alethea’s disgusted face. She covered her emotion with a sweet grin. I swiftly pushed the hybrids behind me in a protective manner. I heard Shiva whimper and shrink under Alethea’s harsh gaze. Ice held her ground, but her legs shook with fear and anticipation. Alethea switched into the form of the dragon she was before, a sleek tongue slipped out of her mouth. I felt the menace glowing off of Alethea’s scales. Her eyes were shiny with rage and loathing. I bared my teeth, ready to fight. Her grin turned malicious and disturbing as she stared at me challengingly. As she took a step forward, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. Around us were dozens of shapeshifters, each wearing a steel helmet upon their head. I stared at everyone, feeling almost ashamed of my betrayal. I changed into a dragon, so I could be equal with Alethea. I was feeling horrible for the hybrids as I looked back at them. The feeling shook away when I felt long, hard claws rip into my cheek. I flew onto the floor, stunned at the sudden attack, but I quickly got back up, this time anticipating her move. She slashed at my face once more, but this time, I dodged out of the way safely. She took this opportunity to lunge at the children. She almost succeeded in her action if it weren’t for me getting in the way of her throw. I felt the excruciating pain once more, but pushed it aside, more worried for the sisters. By now I was panting with blood dripping down my leg from the large wound on my stomach. ‘Is this really where I die?’ I ask pathetically. ‘Either way, i’m not going down without a full fight’. Determination erupted from my eyes, pushing me forward. I saw the blurry figure of her claws coming my way again. I took a quick thrust and grabbed the flying slash. I gripped it firmly in my jaw, not even letting it move a centimeter. I bit harder and harder into the scaly flesh, soon feeling the blood drip into my muzzle. The metallic taste signaled me to let go, all the while Alethea squirmed and growled. She jumped back, examining her bloody talons.   
“Are you guys alright?” I ask while taking in sharp breaths of the minty air. I could see Shiva nod with immense fear oozing from her body.  
“Anemone!” The shouting of the hybrids bounced off the walls. It was too late. Alethea’s claws came in contact with my head, making me fall the floor with a thud. My vision was covered with my own blood. I reached out to the two, trying to protect them even while I was on the floor. The world faded around me as I lowered my talons, accepting the comforting darkness...


End file.
